Potential-steadying device making use of glow lamps



P 1936. K. SCHLESINGER 2,054,883

POTENTIAL STEADYING DEVICE MAKING USE OF GLOW LAMPS Filed Dec. 21, 1933 Unvenfor:

Patented Sept. 22, 1936 PATENT OFFIQIZE POTENTIAL-STEADYING DEVICE MAKING USE OF GLOW LAMPS Kurt Schlesinger, Berlin, Germany Application December 21, 1933, Serial No. 703,441 In Germany December 24, 1932 5 Claims.

The subjectmatter of the invention is a potential-steadying device making use of glow lamps.

It is already known to employ glow lamps for 5 potential-steadying purposes. If in this connection glow lamps are employed having purely metallic electrodes, there occur, as the applicant has found, several errors, which make the steadying effect questionable.

Substantially the following sources of error are concerned: a

(l) the discharge jumps.

(2) the discharge is interrupted when the consumer current varies,

(3) the glow lamp wavers. 1

The reason for the last-mentioned error will be readily apparent with consideration to the usual connection system. The feed current is supplied through the medium of a resistance, whilst a condenser is connected in parallel with the glow lamp. This connection system corresponds with the usual so-called tilting connection system employed for glow lamps. The tilting efiect takes place when the discharge ourrent of the lamp is greater than the charging current. The condenser is first charged up to the ignition potential of the glow lamp, and then discharged to below the lighting potential, so that the lamp is again extinguished.

According to the invention, there is provided in series with the glow lamp a resistance, which is selected in such fashion that the discharge current cannot become greater than the charging current. In this manner an excitation of the glow lamp for tilting oscillations is safely avoided.

Preferably there is connected in parallel with the consuming apparatus a ballast resistance, which may be selected at approximately 300,000 ohms if the potential at the terminals of the glow lamp amounts to 200 volts. Generally speaking, the ballast resistance should be in the order of the consumer resistance.

It is particularly convenient in accordance with the invention to employ glow lamps, the cathode surface of which is relatively large, and the anode of which is arranged at a relatively small distance (up to approximately 2 mm.) from the cathode and possesses a surface which is equal to approximately one-tenth of the surface of the cathode. In this connection the cathode may be constructed in the form of a cylinder, in the interior of which there is provided the rodshaped anode as concentrically as possible. It is, however, also possible to furnish the cathode with the form of a preferably round plate, and to place the anode annularly about the plate not too far away.

The glow lamp is provided with a gas filling of approximately 5-25 mm. pressure. The pressure of the filling gas may conveniently be so chosen that as far as possible operations are performed in the minimum of the Paschen potential curve. Generally speaking, the tube should be constructed in such fashion that the difference between ignition. potential and operating potential is as small as possible, and should be so dimensioned that the glow lamp current is considerably more powerful than the maximum current taken over by the consuming apparatus.

A form of embodiment of the arrangement according to the invention is illustrated by way of examplein the drawing. In the same I is the rectifier, 4 the charging resistance, 2 and 3 the steadying condensers, 6'the glow lamp with the cylindrical cathode l and the rod anode 8, and I0 d the consuming apparatus. According to the invention, there is provided between the glow lamp 6 and the point of connection of the condenser 3 a resistance 5, which may be selected at approximately 1000 ohms if the resistance 4 is 13000 ohms. In parallel with the consumer is a ballast resistance 9, which may be of approximately the same size as the consumer resistance.

When employing the arrangement according to the invention it is possible to obtain an extremely extensive steadying of the potential, so that this arrangement permits of the operation also of apparatus which are extremely liable to disturbance, for example short-wave heterodyne apparatus.

The arrangement according to the invention may be employed quite generally for potentialsteadying purposes. It is particularly convenient to employ the arrangement in transmitters and also more particularly in ultra-short wave apparatus. In multi-stage amplifiers it is desirable according to the invention to steady the power amplifier stage in the manner known per se, and to employ the arrangement according to the invention for steadying the series-connected potential amplifying stages.

I claim:

1. A system for obtaining a constant voltage from an electric current source having a variable voltage, comprising in combination said direct current source, a load and means interposed therebetween for bypassing potential ripples, said means including a filter chain comprising two condensers across said source and a first resistance between said condensers in series with said source and said load, a second resistance and a glow discharge tube of substantially constant voltage drop in series across said source and said second condenser, said second resistance being arranged in the one lead line between said source and said load and serving for preventing tilting oscillations between said second condenser and said tube;

2. A system for obtaining a constant voltage from an electric current source having a variable voltage, comprising in combination said directcurrent source, a load and means interposed therebetween for bypassing potential ripples;

said means including a filter chain comprising two condensers across said source and a first. resistance between said condenser in series with said source and said load, a second resistance and a glow discharge tube of substantially constant voltage drop in series across said source andsai-d second condenser, said second resistance being arranged in the one lead line between said source and said load and serving for'preventing tilting oscillations between said second condenser and said tube, the mean current flowing con tinually through said glow discharge tube beingconsidei'ably greater. than, at least two times as great as the maximum consumer current.

3. A system for obtaining a constant voltage from an electric current source having a variable voltage, comprising in combination said direct current source, a load andv means. interposed therebetween for bypassing potential ripples, said means includingv a filter chain comprising two condensers across said source and a first resistance between said condenser in series with said source and said load, a second resistance and a glow discharge tube of substantially constant voltage drop iniseries across said source. and said second condenser, said second resistance being arranged. in the one lead linebetween. said source and said load and serving for preventing tilting oscillations between said secondcc'ondenser and said tube, said glow discharge tube being filled with gas, the pressure of whichbeing selected in such fashion of'about 5 to 25 mm. of mercury as to enable the ignition potential to be as small as possible.

, 4. A system for obtaining a constant voltage from an electric current source having a variable voltage, comprising in combination said direct current source, a load and means interposed therebetween for bypassing potential ripples, said means includinga filter chain comprising two condensers across said source and a first resistance between said condenser in series with said source and said load, a second resistance and a glow discharge tube of substantially constant voltage drop in series across said source and said second condenser, said second resistance being arranged in the one lead line between said source and said load and serving for preventing tilting oscillations between said second condenser and said.tube; said glow discharge tube having a cathode of large surface and an anode having a surface equal to about of said cathode surface, the distance between said cathode and said anode being smallin the order of about 2 mm.

5. A system for obtaining a constant voltage from an electric current source having a variable voltage, comprising in combination said direct current source, a load and means interposed therebetween for bypassing potential ripples, said means including a filter chain comprising two condensers across said source and a first resistance between said condensers in series with said source and said load, a second resistance and a glow discharge tube of substantially constant voltage drop in series across said source and said second condenser, said second resistance being arranged in the one lead line between said source and said-load and serving for preventing tilting oscillations between'said second condenser and said tube, and a ballast resistance in parallel with'said glow discharge tube, said ballast resistance beingapproximately equal to the resistance of said load. f

KURT SCHLESINGER. 

